Story perspectives

Olivia Wilde's “The Invite” Scores $12 M A24 Deal.

6/23/2026

Summary

Olivia Wilde Directs

Olivia Wilde directs “The Invite,” which opens in Indian theatres on 10 July.
A24 bought the film’s domestic rights for more than $12 million.
Rashida Jones and Will McCormack wrote a screenplay that adapts Cesc Gay’s 2020 film “The People Upstairs.”
The cast—Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton—plays a married couple whose noisy neighbors spark tension, which set designer Jade Healy mirrors in an apartment that earned critics’ praise.

Summary

Invite Gains Prestige

The Invite is being lauded as a rare prestige entry in the sex-comedy genre.
Critics note that the third-act monologue shifts from outright humor to sincere emotion before the film returns to laughs.
Reviewers describe the movie as effective summer counter-programming that offers an alternative to typical blockbuster releases.
Commentators argue the film challenges the long-standing view that sex-centric comedies belong only to low-brow cinema.

History

Historical Context

The Full Monty, released in 1997 in the United Kingdom, transformed a low-brow strip-tease comedy into an Oscar-nominated prestige film. Director Peter Cattaneo guided the £1.5 million-budget production, which grossed $256 million worldwide, earned a BAFTA for Best Film, and received endorsement from the British Film Institute. Similarly, Olivia Wilde’s 2024 film The Invite, starring Seth Rogen and Penélope Cruz, backed by A24’s $12 million acquisition, seeks prestige status for a sex-comedy. If the modern release mirrors The Full Monty’s breakthrough, it could reshape industry expectations, encouraging studios to fund more high-brow adult comedies.

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Olivia Wilde Directs

Olivia Wilde directs “The Invite,” which opens in Indian theatres on 10 July.
A24 bought the film’s domestic rights for more than $12 million.
Rashida Jones and Will McCormack wrote a screenplay that adapts Cesc Gay’s 2020 film “The People Upstairs.”
The cast—Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton—plays a married couple whose noisy neighbors spark tension, which set designer Jade Healy mirrors in an apartment that earned critics’ praise.

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